This week, I’ll break down all 20 OHL clubs division by division and unveil my predictions for the 2012-13 season. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference’s West Division (listed in alphabetical order):

Plymouth Whalers
Coach/GM: Michael Vellucci
2011-12 finish: 47-18-2-1, 1st division, 2nd conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Kitchener 4-3 in conference semifinals
Key players: LW Stefan Noesen (38 goals, 44 assists, 82 points; signed with Ottawa), C Mitchell Heard (29-28-57; signed with Colorado), RW Alex Aleardi (36-29-65), LW J.T. Miller (25-37-62; signed with N.Y. Rangers; G Matt Mahalak (19-8-0-0 record, 2.66 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, 3 shutouts; Carolina prospect)
Key losses: G Scott Wedgewood (28-10-2-1, 3.02, .911, 3 SO; signed with New Jersey), D Beau Schmitz (14-40-54, +37; signed with Carolina), C Andy Bathgate (19-44-63)
Outlook: The Whalers had a chance to reach the Western finals last season, but they lost Game 7 at home to Kitchener. They lost some key players off that team, but the Whalers still have are strong enough to make a deeper run this season.

Saginaw Spirit
Coach/GM: Greg Gilbert/Jim Paliafito
2011-12 finish: 40-22-4-2, 3rd division, 5th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-2 in conference semifinals
Key players: C Vincent Trocheck (29-56-85; signed with Florida), LW Brandon Saad (34-42-76; signed with Chicago), LW Garret Ross (25-29-54), C Eric Locke (20-20-40), D Dalton Young (5-15-20)
Key losses: LW Josh Shalla (40-36-76; signed with Nashville), RW Michael Fine (22-45-67), C John McFarland (20-21-41; signed with Florida), D Brad Walch (5-18-23, +21)
Outlook: Trocheck and Saad headline an offense that ranked fifth in the league a season ago with 259 goals. Now they have to solidify a defense that allowed 259 goals, the fourth most in the league. Clint Windsor and Jake Paterson are the keys in net.

Sarnia Sting
Coach/GM: Jacques Beaulieu
2011-12 finish: 34-27-2-5, 2nd division, 4th conference
Playoff finish: Lost 4-2 to Saginaw in conference quarterfinals
Key players: C Alex Galchenyuk (0-0-0 in 2 games; signed with Montreal), G J.P. Anderson (27-23-2-4, 3.03, .908, 3 SO), LW Reid Boucher (28-22-50), D Connor Murphy (8-18-26; signed with Phoenix), D Alex Basso (9-27-36, +5)
Key losses: RW Nail Yakupov (31-38-69 in 42 games; signed with Edmonton), C Brett Thompson (32-38-70; former Otter), C Ryan Spooner (29-37-66; signed with Boston), LW Tyler J. Brown (21-27-48), D Adrian Robertson (10-28-38, +13)
Outlook: Yakupov, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, isn’t expected to rejoin the Sting. But Galchenyuk, the No. 3 pick in the draft, returns after missing nearly all of last season with a knee injury. But can the Sting overcome other key losses?

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Coach/GM: Mike Stapleton/Kyle Dubas
2011-12 finish: 29-33-2-4, 5th division, 9th conference
Playoff finish: Did not qualify
Key players: C Nick Cousins (35-53-88; signed with Philadelphia), G Matt Murray (13-19-0-1, 4.08, .876; Pittsburgh prospect), D Ryan Sproul (23-31-54, +16), RW Andrew Fritsch (13-19-32 in 35 games; Phoenix prospect), LW Michael Schumacher (26-24-50)
Key losses: C Brett Findlay (20-36-56; traded to Peterborough), C Carson Dubchak (16-16-32)
Outlook: The Greyhounds are trying to avoid a third straight season out of the playoff picture. But does Stapleton, the Otters’ former associate and assistant coach, have enough talented depth to make that happen in a challenging conference?

Windsor Spitfires
Coach/GM: Bob Boughner/Warren Rychel
2011-12 finish: 29-32-5-2, 4th division, 8th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-0 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: LW Kerby Rychel (41-33-74); C Brady Vail (22-30-52), LW Chris Marchese (18-25-43; former Otter), D Nick Ebert (6-33-39), RW Joshua Ho-Sang (No. 5 pick in OHL Priority Selection), LW Ben Johnson (18-20-38)
Key losses: C Alexander Khokhlachev (25-44-69; playing in Russia), C Zack MacQueen (18-20-38; son of former Otters coach Dave MacQueen)
Outlook: The unexpected departure of Khokhlachev will hurt thre Spitfires, unless forwards like Rychel, Vail, former Otter Marchese and first-round pick Ho-Sang pick up the slack. But will they have enough on defense and in net to win consistently?

- Victor Fernandes

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that a media conference is scheduled for Wednesday at 12 pm at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, to announce the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy presented to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year for the 2011-12 season.

The Red Tilson Trophy is the most prestigious individual award presented annually by the league to the Most Outstanding Player in the Ontario Hockey League during the regular season schedule of games as voted by sports writers and broadcasters in the OHL. The award is in honour of Albert “Red” Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals. Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires captured the award last season.

2011-12 Red Tilson Trophy Nominees
Barrie Colts – Tanner Pearson
Belleville Bulls – Brendan Gaunce
Brampton Battalion – Sam Carrick
Erie Otters – Adam Pelech
Guelph Storm – Matt Finn
Kingston Frontenacs – Darcy Greenaway
Kitchener Rangers – Tobias Rieder
London Knights – Michael Houser
Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors – Riley Brace
Niagara IceDogs – Mark Visentin
Oshawa Generals – Kevin Bailie
Ottawa 67’s – Tyler Toffoli
Owen Sound Attack – Mike Halmo
Peterborough Petes – Andrew Yogan
Plymouth Whalers – Stefan Noesen
Saginaw Spirit – Brandon Saad
Sarnia Sting – Nail Yakupov
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – Nick Cousins
Sudbury Wolves – Michael Sgarbossa
Windsor Spitfires – Kerby Rychel

- From OHL news release

Erie Otters center Dane Fox stands 46th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, which was released Monday. Five teammates join him on the list, including first-tim selection Luke Cairns. The veteran center is considered No. 189 among North American skaters after not appearing on Central Scouting’s preliminary and midterm lists.
Right wing Connor Brown (No. 110 from No. 85 in the midterm rankings) as well as defensemen Adam Pelech (No. 120 from No. 54), Troy Donnay (No. 122 from No. 115) and Liam Maaskant(No. 195 from No. 134) slipped down the list.
Former Otters winger Chris Marchese, now with Windsor, stands at No. 122. Center Drake Caggiula, the Otters’ third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, appears at No. 185. Caggiula, who played for Stouffville in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League this season, has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at North Dakota.
Sarnia’s duo of right wing Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk rank first and fourth, respectively, followed by Ottawa defenseman Cody Ceci (sixth), Kitchener center Radek Faksa (seventh) and London defenseman Olli Maatta (eighth). Belleville’s Malcolm Subban (first), Saginaw’s Jake Paterson (third) and Kitchener’s Frank Palazzese (ninth) rank among the top 10 North American goaltenders.
The NHL draft takes place June 22-23 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Check out the the complete rankings by clicking on the link.

Sarnia, ON – General Manager Jacques Beaulieu announced this morning that forward Nail Yakupov will not be attending this year’s Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Beaulieu has released the following statement on behalf of the hockey club:

“Dr. R. Giffin of the Fowler Kennedy Clinic in London has advised the hockey club that it is in the best interest of the player not to partake in the Top Prospects game on Wednesday in Kelowna.”

When Yakupov first suffered from injury following the World Junior Championship he was removed from the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game rosters. After returning and playing in all three of the Sting’s games this past weekend there was hope that he would be healthy enough to be added back into the lineup.

- From OHL news release

Third-year forward Dane Fox and second-year defenseman Adam Pelech headline five Erie Otters named to NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the NHL Entry Draft in June.

Fox, 18, who was acquired along with second-year defenseman Troy Donnay from London last week, stands 48th among North American skaters. Pelech, 17, is six spots back at No. 54. Rookie winger Connor Brown, 17, stands at No. 85. Donnay, 17, and rookie defenseman Liam Maaskant, 17, are Nos. 115 and 134, respectively.

Former Otters winger Chris Marchese, who was traded to Windsor for winger Anthony Cortellessa last month, stands at No. 97. Center Drake Caggiula, the Otters’ third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, is at No. 197. He plays for Stouffville in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League and has committed to the University of North Dakota.

Sarnia winger Nail Yakupov ranks first overall among North American skaters. The OHL has eight other skaters among the top 20 – Kitchener C Radek Faksa (No. 4), London D Olli Maatta (No. 6), Belleville C Brendan Gaunce (No. 11), Guelph D Matthew Finn (No. 15), Ottawa D Cody Ceci (No. 16), Peterborough D Slater Koekkoek (No. 17), Belleville LW Daniil Zharkov (No. 19) and Owen Sound C Gemel Smith (No. 20). Belleville’s Malcolm Subban ranks first among North American goaltenders.

Check out the complete lists on NHL.com, including the top European goaltenders. Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, has said the 2012 CHL Import Draft in June features goaltenders that could be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

Bassin likely will focus on the CHL draft to find a goaltender to replace overager Ramis Sadikov next season. Rookie backup Devin Williams, who has played 18 minutes in his brief OHL career, is currently the most experienced prospect in the organization.

Sarnia Sting (19-14-1-4) at Erie Otters (5-30-1-1)

When: Today, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Up next: vs. Kitchener (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Owen Sound (Jan. 13-14, 7:30 p.m.)

Fast facts: The Otters return home for two games after losing all three games on an Eastern Conference trip to Barrie, Oshawa and Peterborough last weekend. … The Otters have posted two of their five wins against the Sting. They capped the first half with a 5-3 home win against Sarnia Dec. 17. … LW Sondre Olden (broken finger on right hand) hopes to play this weekend. He suffered the injury during his first shift in the gold-medal game at the IIHF World Junior Championship’s Division I Group A tournament in Germany last month. He hasn’t played for the Otters since Dec. 3. … RW Connor Brown (14 goals, 26 points) was named OHL rookie of the month for December (6 goals, 10 points in 12 games). He leads the team in goals and ranks second in assists (12) and points. … LW Stephen Harper could miss this weekend’s games after reportedly being injured in Tuesday’s semifinal loss to Russia at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ontario. … Sarnia could be without RW Nail Yakupov (21 goals, 53 points in 26 games). He led his native Russia against Sweden Thursday night in the gold-medal game of the IIHF World Junior Championship in Calgary, Alberta. … The Sting have lost five straight and seven of their 10 games to fall 10 points behind Plymouth in the West Division standings and slip to fourth in the Western Conference. … C Brett Thompson has 16 goals and 32 points in 22 games with the Sting. He has a goal and two points in two games against his former team. … The Sting acquired C Ryan Spooner (14-18-32 in 27 games) from Kingston on Thursday for 2011 first-round pick Ryan Kujawinski. … C Charles Sarault (14 goals, 60 points) leads the OHL in assists (46) and ranks second in scoring. He was named player of the month for December (5 goals, 23 points in 11 games).

- Victor Fernandes

SARNIA, Ontario – Three goals in the third period by the Sarnia Sting were the difference, as the Erie Otters lost their season opener at RBC Centre Friday night 5-2.

Nail Yakupov, Craig Hottot and Charlie Sarault all scored in the third for the Sting, as they handed the Otters a season-opening loss.

Alex Basso scored first for the Sting while on the power play, but his goal was quickly neutralized by Sondre Olden’s first OHL goal.

The Norwegian took a feed from Connor Brown down the left wing of the Sarnia zone and fired a wrist shot from the circle through the glove of Brandon Maxwell to tie the game nine minutes, five seconds into the game.

Brett Ritchie scored on a two-on-one just over a minute later to put the Sting back in front. However, a hard check by Chris Marchese during an Otters’ penalty kill led to their first shorthanded goal of the season. Brown picked up the loose puck and started a two-on-none, waiting until the last moment to find Marchese, as he rang the puck just under the crossbar to make it two-all with four minutes, 19 seconds left in the first.

The second period was more defensive than the first, but neither team was short on chances. Chris Festarini stopped Ritchie with a terrific right arm save on a breakaway and Brett Thompson was denied by the outstretched right pad of Maxwell.

The goalies kept the scoreline at two apiece going into the third. The third was where the Sting were able to pull away, and despite Festarini’s best efforts with 35 saves, the Otters could not find the offense to take at least a point on the road.

Brown led the way for the Otters with two assists, while Nathan Glass, Stephen Harper and Jake Evans had solid debuts despite not appearing on the scoresheet. The Otters continue on the road to Plymouth to take on the Whalers Saturday at 7 p.m.

- From Erie Otters news release

Russian-born forward Vladimir Tkachev, the Erie Otters’ second first-round pick in the 2011 CHL Import Draft, isn’t reporting to training camp Monday – or anytime soon.

Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, said the Russian Ice Hockey Federation has denied Tkachev a visa that would allow him to join the OHL club.

Bassin said he believes federation officials coerced Tkachev to sign a letter stating he wants to remain in Russia. Bassin also said he was told Tkachev signed a contract with AK Bars Kazan.

The 6-foot, 182-pound center had nine goals and 18 points in 39 games with AK Bars Kazan in Russia last season. He also played alongside Nail Yakupov, Sarnia’s standout forward, on Russia’s Under-18 National Team last season.

Bassin said “we’re fighting it” through the International Ice Hockey Federation, the sport’s worldwide governing body. Yet Bassin is unsure how long it will take to resolve the issue. He said other OHL clubs have needed several months to resolve similar problems in the past.

Russia doesn’t have a transfer agreement with the IIHF.

Meanwhile, Norwegian-born left wing Sondre Olden, the Otters opening CHL first-round pick, won’t arrive at camp until Wednesday because of travel problems caused by Hurricane Irene. His flight to New York City on Sunday was cancelled. So he will fly to Toronto on Tuesday before being picked up by club officials.

Close to signing: Defense prospect Liam Maaskant, an 2010 eighth-round pick, expects to sign with the Otters soon.

“It’s just about done, (just) got to sign the papers,” said Maaskant, 17, a Clinton, Ontario, native who chose not to sign last season since he hadn’t decided between the OHL and the NCAA. But Maaskant chose the OHL after speaking with former Otter and current Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly, a native of nearby Varna, Ontario.

“I came to the final decision that the O was meant for me,” Maaskant said. “I’m ready to take the next step and come to Erie for sure.”

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League selected Norwegian left wing Sondre Olden from Modo Hockey of the Elitserien with the 31st overall selection in the 2011 CHL Import Draft Wednesday afternoon.

Born August 29, 1992 in Oslo, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Olden was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (79th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Otters captain Greg McKegg was drafted by the Leafs in the same draft, at the 61st overall position.

Olden played for the Under-20 program of MODO last season, grabbing 22 points in 33 games. He also represented his native Norway at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo.

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The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League selected Russian center Vladimir Tkachev (Chach-kev) from AK Bars Kazan with the 37th overall selection in the 2011 CHL Import Draft Wednesday afternoon.

Born October 5, 1993 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, the 6-foot, 180-pound Tkachev earned a bronze medal with Team Russia in the 2011 World Under-18 Hockey Championship in Germany. He had three points in seven games on a team that featured top 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospects Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko. Tkachev will also be eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

- From Erie Otters news releases

What: Owen Sound Attack (11-3-0-1) at Erie Otters (4-11-1-0)

When: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (9 goals, 15 assists, 24 points), C Mike Cazzola (8-13-21), RW Shawn Szydlowski (7-7-14), D Tyler Hostetter (3-8-11), C Phil Varone (1-2-3 in 7 games)

Owen Sound – LW Garrett Wilson (17-10-27, 9 power-play goals), C Joey Hishon (10-6-16), RW Liam Heelis (6-10-16), C Andrew Shaw (3-12-15), D Geoffrey Schemitsch (1-10-11, plus-10)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have lost two straight and nine of their last 10 games. … They complete a five-game home stand with a doubleheader against the Attack, which lead the Midwest Division and are second in the Western Conference. The Otters are 1-2 during this home stand and 2-5 at home overall. … The Otters have lost nine games by two goals or fewer this season. … Varone, acquired from London last week, was scoreless the last two games after contributing two assists in his debut Oct. 27 against Plymouth. … RW Anthony Luciani had the cast removed from his broken right wrist on Tuesday. He also has participated in full-contact workouts the past three days. But he remains a game-time decision. … Rookie F Connor Crisp (concussion) made his OHL debut on Saturday against Oshawa. … D Brady Austin returns to defense tonight. He was expected to begin the season on defense after spending time at forward as a rookie last season. But he began this season at forward. … McKegg, one of the league’s top 10 scorers, has only two goals in his past eight games. But he has eight points in that same stretch. … Szydlowski has one point in the last three games. … The Otters’ once top-ranked power play has slipped to sixth (21.3 percent). … The penalty kill ranks 17^th overall (77.5 percent).

Owen Sound – The Attack are ranked eighth in the CHL’s top 10 after posting losing records the past three seasons. … They lead the league with 73 goals and are third with 47 goals against. … They also rank third on the power play (22.3 percent). … Wilson tops the goal-scoring list after totaling 36 last season. He is tied with Sarnia rookie RW Nail Yakupov for the points lead and leads in power-play goals. … Hishon is tied for ninth in goals. … The teams split the six-game series last season.

Up next: at Mississauga St. Michael’s (Sunday, 2 p.m.), vs. Guelph (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)